NEWS & UPDATES
CERTIFICATION NEWS
2014 IS A RECERTIFICATION YEAR
Certification is more than passing an exam;
it is a career-long commitment to meeting
a high standard of professional practice.
By completing continuing education
activities, you demonstrate commitment to
your employer, your clients, and yourself.
Every three years, the National Strength
and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
requires all certified professionals to report
their continuing education units (CEUs)
and complete the recertification process
to maintain their certification. The NSCA
has made the recertification process even
easier for 2014 with the following tools:
• Online CEU Reporting: You can now
report your CEUs at any time on the
NSCA website
• Recertification Guide: An updated
Recertification Policies and Procedures
Guide is now available on the NSCA
website
Online CEU reporting and the new
Recertification Policies and Procedures
Guide are great tools to make
recertification easier, but do not wait until
December 31 to utilize them. Over 40,000
certified professionals will need to recertify
by December 31, so visit the NSCA website
today to explore these helpful tools.
CHANGES ARE COMING TO CSCS
AND NSCA-CPT EXAMS
The NSCA will update the Certified
Strength and Conditioning Specialist®
(CSCS®) and NSCA-Certified Personal
Trainer® (NSCA-CPT®) exams for U.S.
candidates on July 1, 2014. Candidates
who sit for these exams before July 1 will
take the current exams, while candidates
who sit for these exams on or after July
1 will take the updated exams. Official
exam results for candidates who take
the updated exams after July 1 will be
released in August—a delay necessary to
accommodate additional quality assurance
procedures. Candidates are responsible
for scheduling their exam appointments
accordingly. Exam updates for international
candidates will be announced in the future.
4
There are three important changes coming
to the CSCS and NSCA-CPT exams:
1.
Updated Content Outlines: The
content outline specifies the
knowledge and skills measured by
an exam; updated content outlines
will be available on the NSCA
website in the upcoming months
2.
New Item Format: Each multiplechoice question will be presented
with three options
3.
Additional Pre-Test Items: Each
exam will contain an additional five
(5) unscored items
The NSCA is committed to ensuring that
the standards of competence measured by
the exams remain relevent to the evolving
roles and responsibilities of strength and
conditioing professionals. Approximately
every five years, the NSCA conducts a
job analysis to identify needed changes
in the exam content outlines. The job
analysis is based on a first-hand survey
of the current roles and tasks performed
by strength and conditioing professionals
who hold NSCA certifications. The NSCA’s
Certification Committee and Board of
Directors reviewed and approved the new
content outlines. Industry experts serving
as volunteers on Exam Development
Committees (EDCs) will meet to construct
exams according to the updated content
outlines and set the standard of minimal
competency (passing score) for the exams.
The NSCA partners with psychometric
consultants (experts in testing) to provide
technical guidance regarding all aspects
of the exams. A strong body of research
evidence supports the transition from
a four- to three-option multiple-choice
format for CSCS and NSCA-CPT exam
questions. Benefits include increased
reliability and the opportunity to present
more pre-items in the same amount of
time. The CSPS and TSAC-F certification
exams were also developed using the
three-option multiple-choice format.
NSCA BULLETIN | ISSUE 36.02
NCCA ACCREDITATION RENEWED
Recently, the National Commission for
Certifying Agencies (NCCA) granted
reaccreditation to the CSCS and NSCA-CPT
certification programs for demonstrating
compliance with the NCCA Standards for
the Accreditation of Certification Programs.
The NCCA is the accrediting body of the
Institute for Credentialing Excellence. The
NCCA Standards were created in 1977 and
updated in 2003 to ensure certification
programs adhere to modern standards
of practice for the certification industry.
The NSCA joins an elite group of more
than 120 organizations representing over
270 programs that have received and
maintained NCCA accreditation. More
information on the NCCA is available online
at www.credentialingexcellence.org/NCCA
or by calling (202)367-1165.
THE STRENGTH OF
AMERICA AWARD
The National Strength and Conditioning
Association (NSCA) has partnered with
the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports,
and Nutrition to grant the Strength of
America Award™. The Strength of America
Award honors schools that exhibit the
highest standards in the safety and
success of young athletes. This award
is available to any high school that
qualifies. Be recognized as an elite school
and submit your application by May 15,
2014. Recipients are announced at the
NSCA’s National Conference. For more
information, contact us or APPLY NOW.
SPONSORS
We would like to thank Direct Fitness
Solutions, Dymatize, EAS, EliteForm, GNC,
Gopher, Muscle Milk, Perform Better, Power
Systems, Woodway, and VersaClimber
for exhibiting at our 2014 Coaches
Conference. Our sponsors have shown
their support for the NSCA and NSCA
Members in numerous ways and it is simply
impossible to fully express our sincere
gratitude to each and every one of them.
The NSCA would like to thank each sponsor
for attending our 2014 Coaches Conference
and we hope to see each of you exhibit for
many years to come.